Bedtime Story
by Mystearica
Summary: Whenever I had a bad dream, mama would always hold me like this. And she would tell me a happy bedtime story.


Karin lay in her bed, the covers pulled up to her chin and her eyes closed. A peaceful expression was on her face, a small smile accompanying it. She'd been like this for the past several hours, turning slightly in her sleep from time to time and snuggling even more into the bed.

She was having such a _lovely_ dream; she walked with Kazune through a flower field (he was grumbling about how women were _such_ saps for things like this, but he seemed to enjoy it all the same), holding his hand and excitedly chattering on about how the field was so pretty, in full bloom with the several different varieties of flowers …

And then, a small voice called "Mama!"

Karin turned around in her dream. She didn't see anyone. But that voice … It was familiar.

"Mama? Mama, wake up?"

The flowers faded away. Kazune faded away. Her conciousness returned to her, and she blinked the remaining sleep from her eyes, her vision focusing in on the young face of the boy who looked so much like his father. She blinked once more.

"Suzune-kun?" She asked quietly. Suzune had tears in his eyes, his tiny hand on Karin's shoulder. He had been trying to shake his mother awake. Karin sat up slowly, taking the little boy into her arms and setting him on her lap.

"What's wrong, Suzune-kun?" She asked worriedly. Suzune's hands clenched the fabric of Karin's pajamas in his tiny fists, cuddling against Karin tightly.

"I had a bad dream," he said, his voice shaking. Karin frowned, rubbing the small child's back gently.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" She asked. Suzune shook his head against Karin's chest.

"No," he responded simply.

Karin wasn't sure what to do; she had been trying her best to be a mother to Suzune since he'd arrived from the future, claiming to be the child of she and Kazune, but … she was obviously much too young to be a mother in the first place. She didn't expect to become a mother at this age, even if she technically hadn't given birth yet.

Suzune seemed to understand this, even with how young he was.

"When I had bad dreams, my mama in the future always held me like this," he said. Karin allowed a tiny smile to cross her lips. Well, at least she was doing _something_ right.

"And she told me a happy bedtime story. The one about a prince and a princess …" Well, there were many of those kinds of stories.

"Which one was that?" She asked, curiously.

"The one with the princess in the castle … and the wicked witch … and she had really long hair …" Karin's breath hitched.

_Rapunzel … that was my favorite when I was a little girl._

Suzune closed his eyes and snuggled more against Karin.

"Mama said it was her favorite, too. She told me that." Karin giggled.

"Yes, it's still my favorite. Do you want me to tell it to you?"

Suzune nodded. Karin took a deep breath, then layed back, so the small boy was still snuggled on her chest, but she was more comfortable as well.

"All right, then," she said, closing her eyes.

"Once upon a time, there was a couple who lived next to an evil, wicked witch …" She began. She kept talking, telling the story to the small boy, who giggled and gasped at all of the appropriate parts of the story.

"… And they all lived happily ever after," She finished, after she'd told the entire story to Suzune. "The end."

She was met with the quiet sound of soft breathing, and she opened her eyes to look down. Suzune was asleep against her chest. Karin couldn't help but smile; he looked so at peace like that … she threw her legs over the side of the bed, standing and trying not to move Suzune as much as she could. She walked to his room and pressed a small kiss to his forehead before placing him in his bed, pulling the covers up to his chin.

"Did he have another nightmare?" A voice came from the doorway. Karin blinked, looking back and smiling as she saw Kazune walk up next to her, looking down at the small, sleeping boy. Karin nodded.

"He comes to me sometimes with nightmares. Apparently, I'm not as good at telling a bedtime story as you are," He looked over to Karin with a smirk. Karin giggled, trying to keep it quiet.

"Of course not. I'm his mommy, after all," she said, making Kazune scowl slightly.

"Shut up," He said in retaliation, causing Karin to hold in more giggles. Karin sighed.

"I'm going to try and go back to bed," She said, walking toward the doorway.

"Karin."

Karin looked back. "Yes?"

He seemed a bit flustered. "We should … go to a flower field one day." Karin blinked, then laughed a little.

"What's with that idea?" She asked, trying to get the weird, ironic feeling out of her. Kazune's blush could be seen even in the dark.

"Nothing! I just .. I think you'd like it." Karin smiled. She nodded.

"Yeah … that sounds nice." She said, before disappearing, heading back to her room. Kazune stood there for a few moments, before heading back to his own room.

Before he went to sleep again, a flash from his previous dream came to him again.

He and Karin were in a flower field, holding hands …


End file.
